Guide rail



Patented July 9, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICELVIU GEORGE M. BENJAMIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO UNION DRAWN STEEL COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

GUIDE RAIL.

Application filed June 6, 1928. Serial No. 283,196.

This invention relates to guide rails for elevators and more particularly to an improved form of joint for use in connecting rails of this type together.

Guide rails such as are commonly employed in elevator shafts for guiding the travel of the associated car are of T-shape in cross section and are arranged in superimposed abutting relationship, the central flange of the T extending into the shaft so as to provide, in effect, a continuous rail along which the associated car travels and by which it is guided. Heretofore, the rails have been con nected together by ordinary flat tie plates secured to the flat backs of the abutting T- shaped sections. It will be apparent that the three arms of the T-shape prevent tilting of one rail on and relatively to another in these directions in which the arms extend, but that, with the ordinary form of joint, it is easy for one arm to tilt on another in the direction of the flat back, thus bending the tie plate and distorting the structure.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved form of joint of the type set forth constructed and arranged so as to prevent tilting of one rail on another in any direction.

A further object is to provide an arrangement of the type set forth which will be rugged in construction, effective in operation and cheap to manufacture and assemble.

These and other objects which will be apparent to those skilled in this particular art are accomplished by means of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a view in elevation of an elevator rail joint embodying one form of this invention and Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view thereof.

The particular embodiment of this invention which has been chosen for the purposes of illustration is shown in conection with a joint between standard T-shaped elevator rails 5 of ordinary construction, one of which is superimposed on the other in abutting, end to end relationship, as is well understood by those skilled in this particular art. Each rail has a fiat back 6 formed by oppositely extending arms 7, and a centrally located arm or flange 8 which extends into an associated elevator shaft and which cooperates with the similar flanges on the adjacent rails to form a substantially continuous guide rail for the associated elevator car.

It will be apparent from an inspection of Figure 1 that the T-shape of the rails is such as to inherently resist tilting or rocking of one rail upon another in practically any direction but the direction of the flat back.- It will alsobe apparent that the ordinary flat tie plate customarily employed for connecting the separate rails together at their joints, would not of itself impart any resistance to a tilting or rocking movement of one rail upon another in this direction.

In the present invention, this inherent defeet resulting from the T-shape of the structure is over-come by changing the. cross sectionalconfiguration of the rail joint so as to provide an inherent resistance to tilting in any direction. As illustrated. this is accomplished by providing a rail joint which is of cruciform configuration in cross section. It will be apparent that a joint of such construction will inherently resist tendency of one rail to tilt or rock on another in any direction.

The drawings illustrate a simple and effective means for accomplishing this result. As illustrated, a. tie plate 9 is provided with a flat back 10 which is clamped across the joint between and against the aligned backs of two adjacent rails by any suitable clamping means such as the bolts 11. The tie plate has oppositely extending arms 12 by means of which the clamping bolts secure the plate in position and a longitudinally extending elongated ridge or flange 13 which is adapted to lie in a vertical position when in position is located on the tie plate bet-ween the opposite- 1y extending arms 12. The flange or ridge 13 may be of any shape or configurati on desired, but, as clearly shown in the drawing, is wider than the guide-tongue or flange 8. As illustrated, it is provided with beveled sides and is relatively shallow in depth so that it may be accommodated in the usual space provided forelevator shafts. It will be apparent, however, that any form of flange which cooperates with the cross sectional configuration of the rails proper so as to provide an efiective cruciform cross section through the joint can be employed. Obviously, any tendency of the upper rail to rock on the lower rail inwardly of the associated shaft will be resisted by engagement between the inwardly extending guide flanges 8 of the respective rails. Any tendency to rock laterally in either direction will. be resisted by engagement between the laterally extending arms 7 of the rails and also by the tie plate 9,\vhile any tendency to rock the direction of the rail backs 6 will be resisted by the flange 13 which extends longitudinally along the tie plate. In other words, rocking in two directions is resisted by the laterally extending arms 7 While rocking in the other two diametrically opposite directions is resisted by the guide flange 8 and the tie plate flange 13.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is Y A reinforcing element for sectional guiderails for elevators, said guide-rails being sub stantially T-shaped in cross-section forming a guiding-tongue and a base portion and arranged vertically in an elevator shait with therends of the separate sections abutting forming horizontal joints therebetween, each reinforcing element comprising a base portion coextensive in Width with the base por tion of the T-rails and secured directly and rigidly against the rear s'ide'thcrcof and on opposite sides of the joint between the sections of rails and being provided with a central integral longitudinally-extending rib that has a Width greater than the thickness of aid guiding-tongue of the guiderails to provide relatively-narrow side flanges, whereby torsional strains of the guide-in il sections rel-- ative to each other will be prevented.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 28th day of 1.- 1928.

GEORGE M. BENJAMIN. 

